Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Frostgrave: The Cemetery

Because I’m getting sick of the
standard game scenario (and I’ve hardly even PLAYED any games myself – I end up
running the games more often than not!) I decided it was time to set up a
scenario for this week’s game.

SITUATION

Nester the Weasel, a thug for
hire, recently in the employ of the Enchanter Morgok, came staggering into the
Frosty Apple – the inn at the village of Bregnall – last bit of civilization
before you get to Felstad (if you can call it that…). He’d half walked, half
crawled four days through the wilderness, out of the ruins. No food, little
water and a horrid gash in his side, which he’d bound, but by the time he
arrived in Bergnall it was smelling putrid. He kept muttering to any that would
listen a wild story about a graveyard in the city his group had come across –
full of treasures – and Grimoires! But it was also crawling with the undead.
Only he made it out… and he didn’t live long after his arrival in Bergnall

SCENARIO

The center of the table is a
graveyard. In the middle of the Graveyard is a crypt filled with treasures (6
regular treasures, plus one superior treasure – which requires two to carry but
scores 100 experience points and contains two grimoires – in addition to
whatever else is rolled). The graveyard is filled with undead – plus more
wandering monsters spawn every turn. There were six spawning points spread
evenly out around the table edge and four inside the graveyard. Players roll
for location first as there were two separate encounter tables based on where
the monster was arriving from – all of the monsters that could be generated in
the graveyard were Skeletons, Zombies, Ghouls, Giant Rats, and a VAMPIRE!

FORCES

Rick was back with Silverbeard
the Enchanter. The only change I think he made was to replace one of his losses
with another Ranger – which he had to Borrow from The Girl. I think he names
him Lenderby…?

Tim returned to the Fratgrave
with his Orc Summoner and… stuff… I have no idea…

The Boy Played again with his
Nercomancer warband

Amanda had her Thaumaturge.
Because she’d suffered some serious losses in the previous game and was unable
to replace all her losses she decided to use the Animate Construct scroll.
Because I assumed it would have to be a small construct, I gave her one of those
to use. I since discovered that spellcasters can make whatever size construct
they want with such a scroll – so next game that will probably be a Large
Construct!!

The Girl decided to sit this one
out and help me run the wandering monsters.

PRE-GAME

In the afternoon before the game
I came up with the scenario, but lacked sufficient Graveyard bits and wanted to
come up with something slightly more visually interesting for spawn markers…

(Remember: click on the pictures
for a bigger version)

So I nipped out to the shed to
cut up some bits of MDF I could find….

Gluing them together to make so
quick and dirty Sarcophagi and ‘Spawning Plinths”

A quick, simple paint job was
all I was able to do before the game. Perhaps later I’ll do a little sanding of
some of the rough edges, repaint, and to a bit of dry-brushing… but for now,
these would have to do.

The Cemetery all set up

Detail of the ruined mausoleum
and the treasures within.

THE GAME

Everybody set up and ready to
go!

I set out four skeletons, two
zombies and two ghouls in the graveyard before the game as well. I was a little
worried this might be a bit much, but they were easily taken care of in the
first two turns… from then on it was just the wandering monsters that spawned
on every turn and the rival warbands…

Amanda’s Elvish Thaumaturge
warband heading towards the graveyard…

The Necromancer’s warband heads
into the ruins…

Amanda’s Treasure Hunter takes
out one of the Zombies. In the back ground arrows start flying between the
Elves and Silverbeard’s gang.

The Orc Summoner’s minions skulk
their way towards the graveyard.

Things started going poorly for
the Orc summoner on Turn One when he tried to summon a Demon and rolled a one.
He narrowly escaped death when the deamon took a chomp on him. his Knight –
with a magic sword – rushed to his aid – only to die horribly in the jaws of
the Demon!

I think this was the end of Turn
One – Monster spawned in the area of the graveyard nearest the Orc Warband –
The Vampire.

Vampires are nasty… There was 3%
chance of one showing up… and he showed up on the first turn.

Necromancers minions battling
the undead in the graveyard.

Orcs fighting the undead in
their corner of the graveyard.

Silverbeard’s warband
floundering against a ghoul. I seem to recall that ghoul selling itself dearly
and causing some serious wounds… but after three days my memory isn’t exactly
spot on…

He did manage to whisk one treasure out of the mausoleum with a Telekinesis spell and handed it off to a Thug that quickly dragged it off..

Silverbeard’s gang and the Elves
mixing it up! Silverbeard himself charging into the melee!?

The action got so desperate,
Silverbeard’s wounded Archer and Ranger started shooting into combats… which
almost always ended up with his Thugs getting an arrow in the back (you think
after the first one he’d learn… or maybe the second…? or third…?! I guess thugs
are cheap…)

Giant Rat! One of, I think, two
Wandering Monsters that DIDN’T show up in the corner of the graveyard that the
Orcs were set up near.

Nope, three. Three wandering
monsters showed up in different locations – because this Snow Leopard showed up
near the Necromancer’s Warband and had a nibble on the Apprentice!

Elves hauling away their booty.
The Summoner and apprentice only just made it into the mausoleum – he’d created
a wall that kept himself and the Necromancer out of is for most of the game –
later they used leap to get over the walls and into the mausoleum. There they
found the Elf Treasure Hunter waiting to ambush them and try to claim another
treasure for her master.

The Necromancer’s Warband
calling it a day and heading home treasureless…

Treasures left behind by the
Summoner’s crew – the imp dropped on when it was dropped by the Elf Treasure
Hunter, the Summoner’s Apprentice dropeed one when he was taken out by a
parting gift from the Necromancer’s Apprentice. The Treasure Hunter had hoped
to grab one and make a break for it… but the Vampire caught her and ended her…

Wild Dog attacks the Elves and
they try to haul off their goods… they very nearly didn’t make it…

This was a first – Even though
we started with less treasure than we normally do the game ended with treasure
still left on the table – it had been a bit of a bloodbath and most warbands
lost half their number to injuries – the rest slunk off with what they could or
decided discretion was the better part of valor and decided to leave it to the
Vampire!

We’re not finished with that
Vampire – I ‘m quite certain he’ll be showing up in games again!

I was worried the scenario might be a bit tough - but it turned out just about right. I like placing all the treasure in the center - it guaranteed a bit more contact between the warbands. I honestly though some might make some temporary alliances - at least until the wandering undead that started in the graveyard were taken care of, but the combat between he warbands started off right away! I briefly thought the Orcs might ally with the Necromancer - when the Necromancer sent in his knight in to help against teh vampire - being the only model who could actually cause the Vampire any damage (after the summoner lost his own knight - who carried his only magic weapon!) but after the Summoner's Tracker started taking out members of the Necromander's warband - one per turn, every turn - including the Necromander himself! - that ended that possibility...

POST GAME

Well…

Aamnda’s Treasure Hunter – that
was taken out near the end by the Vampire - was never seen again. The rest of
her wounded - a Thug, both Marksmen, and the dog - all recovered from their
injuries. Most of the rest of her crew staggered off the board with only a few
points of health left… Among the three treasures she collected (including the
big one!) she found only gold and the two bonus Grimoires – but she found a LOT
of gold – 605 gold! The Grimoires she found were for Fast Act and Poison Dart. She
also gained 250 experience (50 for spells, 200 for treasures).

Tim’s apprentice survived, but
his knight (with the magic sword – that had rushed to the aid of the summoner
when the Demon spell back-fired) died. He’d also lost the Snow Leopard,
Warhound and three thieves – two of the thieves were seriously injured and
would miss a game, the rest recovered. In the single treasure he hauled off he
found 20 gold and a Horn of Destruction. He gained 210 experience though (40
for the level difference, 80 for spells, 50 for treasure, and 40 for killing an
enemy soldier) which brought him to a total of 690 – just shy of another
level-up!

Rick had lost every member of
his warband except the Wizard and Apprentice and a thug that had carried off
his sole treasure early in the game. (shooting into combat seems to not be the
best idea ever!) The Wizard and Apprentice ended the game wounded as well (less
than 4 health!). All recovered from their wounds except Sam, who died… Makes me
wonder if they were really wounded at all or if there’s some malingering and
lack of commitment to a Wizard who orders his men to shoot into combat with
other members of his party…. In the solitary treasure he found120 gold and a
Grimoire containing instructions for the Glow spell. The wizard gained 160
experience (50 for the level difference, 50 for treasure, 60 for spells)

The Boy’s Necromancer fully
recovered, but his apprentice suffered a permanent injury (smashed leg). A Thug
died, but his Knight and Infantryman fully recovered. After losing his
Necromancer his heart wasn’t in it and the warband started to retire – when the
apprentice went down, it became an all-out rout! They left the table with no
treasures, but the wizards did gain 130 experience (20 for the level
difference, 80 for killing a couple soldiers, and 30 for spells).

Won’t be back at Frostgrave for
a couple weeks as this weekend in ToonCon!

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

We also played A
Song of Blades and Heroes over the weekend (play testing my ToonCon game again – with the
Warbands I’m thinking I’m going to take along) I should have a game report for
that up soon-ish…

If I get any more painting in this week, I should have a post
with a bunch of Englsih Civil War Scots…